This invention relates to a disk brake arrangement for vehicles and more particularly to an improved disk brake assembly particularly adapted for use with off the road vehicles.
As is well known, disk brakes have a number of advantages with respect to braking capability over drum type brakes. One disadvantage with the disk type brake is that the rotor and brake actuating elements are relatively unprotected, unlike the conventional drum type brake wherein these components are contained internally within the brake drum and backing plate. The exposed mounting of the brake rotor, brake pads and brake actuating element has tended to limit the application of this type of brake, particularly when used with off the road type vehicles that operate in hostile or dirty environments. Although it may appear that the problems can be resolved by merely enclosing the disk type brake, such total enclosures can present a number of problems when it comes time to service the brake such as during replacement of the brake pads.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved disk brake assembly.
It is a yet further object of this invention to provide a disk brake assembly that is easy to service and yet can be operated in adverse environmental conditions.
Recently, there has been a large demand for off the road three and four wheeled vehicles that are designed primarily to accommodate a single rider. These vehicles employ large, low pressure balloon type tires that permit them to travel over a wide variety of terrains and are intended to be ridden primarily by a single rider. Because of this, the vehicles are extremely compact in nature and the placement of all of the necessary drive and braking components give rise to certain problems. For example, an arrangement should be provided for effectively braking at least the rear wheels of the vehicle. Disk type brakes are very desirable for such applications due to their effectiveness and compact nature. However, due to the off the road type of use for which these vehicles are designed, the braking system must be robust and should be located and protected so that it cannot be damaged if obstructions come into contact with the brake assembly. Because of the aforenoted defects with respect to the exposed nature of disk brakes, their application to off the road vehicles has been limited.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved and simplified disk braking arrangement for such a vehicle.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disk brake for an off the road vehicle wherein the brake is protected and yet may be readily serviced.